UMPG Shuffles Top National Execs.

(Top) UMPG EVP/Head of Pop & Rock Music, Creative, Monti Olson. (Bottom) UMPG Head of Business & Legal Affairs/Business Development, David Kokakis (Photos: PRNewsFoto/Universal Music Publishing Group)

Monti Olson and David Kokakis both received promotions today (11/14) from Universal Music Publishing Group, North America’s President, Evan Lamberg. Olson to Executive Vice President/Head of Pop & Rock Music, Creative and Kokakis to Senior Vice President, Head of Business & Legal Affairs/Business Development.

Both positions report directly to Lamberg and will be based in the company’s world-wide headquarters in Santa Monica. These promotions follow today’s exits of Tom Sturges, EVP/Head of Creative, and Robert Allen, SVP/Head of Business and Legal Affairs.

Olson will oversee the Pop and Rock creative operations as he co-leads U.S. creative teams in Los Angeles and New York with Ethiopia Habtemariam, Executive Vice President/Head of Urban Music. Olson previously served as VP of A&R. His career also includes a similar post at BMG.

Kokakis’ newly appointed position will head UMPG’s Business Affairs operations in North America, which includes overseeing all contract negotiations and legal matters concerning new and existing songwriter signings, monitoring all copyright infringement matters, and negotiating new digital media agreements.